The Wonder Of Mont Saint-Michel!

We all know that the world is an incredible place, filled with wonder and beauty. This “Travel Tuesday” proves it once again with one of the most incredible achievements in nature!

It’s the perfect blend of architecture and nature – Mont Saint-Michel in France…let’s take a look!

The “Wonder Of The West!”

We’re heading to the northwest corner of France for an architectural masterpiece that is timeless.

This magnificent Abbey sits perched on a rocky islet in the midst of vast sandbanks exposed to powerful tides between Normandy and Brittany.

It’s called the “Wonder of the West”, a Gothic-style Benedictine Abbey dedicated to the archangel St Michael, and the village that grew up in the shadow of its great walls.

Mont Saint-Michel was built between the 11th and 16th centuries, and the Abbey is a technical and artistic tour de force.

Why?

Well, you know…the tide?

That’s right, every single day, the land around this incredible structure floods!

To visit, you have to plan for when the tide is out, because the road to the Abbey ends up underwater!

Mont Saint-Michel sits on an island approximately 0.6 miles off the country’s northwestern coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches.

I’m not sure if you are even allowed to move here – but if you were wondering about that, as of 2017 the island had a population of only 30 residents!

Here is some history:

The commune’s location – on an island just a few hundred meters from land – made it accessible at low tide to the many pilgrims to its Abbey, but defensible as an incoming tide stranded, drove off, or drowned would-be assailants.

The island remained unconquered during the Hundred Years’ War; a small garrison fended off a full attack by the English in 1433.

Mont Saint-Michel and its bay are on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, and is visited by more than 3 million people each year.

In total, there are more than 60 buildings in the commune and are all protected in France as “monuments historiques.”

I have to visit this gorgeous area – my wife and I have traveled through France, but not here yet…we did drive through Provence and ended up on “space mountain” – called that because at the top it looks like this:

The legendary Tour de France bike race has come up to the top of this mountain, and we drove it too – you can see what’s up there by clicking on my story here:

https://johnrieber.com/2020/08/04/frances-outer-space-mountain-the-tour-de-france-race-course-up-close-on-mont-ventoux-the-bald-mountain/

We loved Provence, because you can drive through vineyards and see a Roman Colisseum as well:

It’s magical, and if you click here you can find out where this classic example of Roman architecture is located:

https://johnrieber.com/2020/02/01/wine-roman-ruins-whisky-babies-my-six-shot-saturday-heads-to-provence/

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https://johnrieber.com

If you like this latest edition of “Tuesday Travel”, please share with friends on social media! Leave a comment and let me know if you’ve been to his magnificent part of the world!

Categories: Art, Books / Media, Exotic Travel, nature, Pop Culture, Real Estate, Travel, Travel Adventures

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